Joe Crowley: “This evening I say goodbye to the House of Representatives after 20 years of service. Thank you to the people of Queens…”

“This evening I say goodbye to the House of Representatives after 20 years of service. Thank you to the people of Queens and the Bronx. It has been the honor of a lifetime to be the voice of many people from New York City. Mr. Speaker, as a son and grandson of immigrants from Ireland, more specifically, as a son of a New York City cop, as a husband and a father, I can only hope I have made my family proud. My family is everything to me. They taught me to pursue fairness and justice, to use my power--and my size and my voice--for good, and to give back. I hope I have done that. I hope my colleagues will keep working together to do the same. We all have different backgrounds, but we are all united by our shared dreams for this great land. I believe in the best of America, its people, and its public servants. Again, thank you to my family for the love and support you have always shown to me: to my mom, who was not able to be here tonight; to my brother, Sean; my sisters, Eileen and Maura; my brother's wife, Maureen, and their boys; my sister's children and their families; my children, Cullen, Kenzie, and Liam. I won't tell you their ages, because they can't be on the floor. And, of course, my wife, Kasey, is with us as well. Thank you, Kasey. To my staff, the greatest staff a person could ever have, all of you have made this such a great journey.…”